1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the production of aliphatic alcohols and, in particular, the hydrogenation of oxo aldehydes to the corresponding aliphatic alcohols.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the well-known oxo process, olefins are hydroformylated by reaction with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, generally charged as syn gas mixtures, in the presence of a cobalt or other oxo catalyst to form a mixture of the corresponding oxo aldehydes and alcohols. Thereafter, the product mixture is recovered and the oxo catalysts are removed by known means to provide a demetalled crude oxo mixture containing the aldehydes and alcohols. This mixture is then generally hydrogenated to convert the aldehydes to additional quantities of the alcohol. The alcohols are then recovered by various means and are widely used as chemical intermediates in the manufacture of plasticizers, detergents, solvents and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,096 discloses that the hydrogenator may contain a mass of any conventional hydrogenation catalyst, for example, nickel, copper chromite, sulfactive hydrogenation catalysts such as tungsten sulfide, nickel sulfide, molybdenum sulfide and the like.
In U.S.S.R. Pat. No. 225,155 (as abstracted at Vol. 70 Chem. Abs. 19570c) aliphatic alcohols are prepared by hydrogenation of oxo aldehydes containing sulfur compounds in a first hydrogenation stage using a zinc-chromium catalyst, followed by a second stage hydrogenation in the presence of a nickel-chromium catalyst. Other similar two-stage hydrogenations are disclosed in U.S.S.R. Pat. No. 277,761, as abstracted in Vol. 74, Chem. Abs. 41896t (copper/nickel-chromium); German Offenlegungschrift No. 1,929,920, as abstracted in Vol. 74 Chem. Abs. 76007f, (copper/nickel-chromium); German Pat. No. 1,276,618, as abstracted at Vol. 70 Chem. Abs. 37167f (copper and nickel/nickel or palladium); British Pat. No. 1,219,038 (copper/nickel-chromium); and Japanese Pat. No. 74/06290, as abstracted at Vol. 82 Chem. Abs. 86084h (Raney nickel/palladium).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,721 discloses catalysts comprising Raney nickel containing absorbed molybdenum. Other nickel-molybdenum hydrogenation catalysts are disclosed in German Pat. No. 1,203,235 (as abstracted in Vol. 64 Chem. Abs. 12548G); East German Pat. No. 106,347 (as abstracted in Vol. 81 Chem. Abs 151525y); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,940. Other prior art sulfided aldehyde hydrogenation catalysts are discussed in O. Weisser, et al., Sulfide Catalysts, Their Properties and Applications, 171-173 (Pergamon Press 1973).